I COULD FEEL something wet and lukewarm running across my forehead. I scrunch my nose up at the unfamiliar feeling and I slowly wake up. I feel it instantly still across my face.
I blink my eyes open, seeing Chase knelt down next to the sofa I was laid across, his hand holding a wet cloth that was pressed against my skin.
"Shit!" I scream in fright.
"Fuck!" Chase replies, just as frightened, as he flinches back and sits on his heels, "The hell is wrong with you?"
"Has it occurred to you that your face is terrifying? Especially when it's all one can see when one is waking up." I groan as I push up onto my elbows, glaring at him.
I then glance at the armchair at the end of the sofa to see Penn throwing her legs over the armchair and pushes the blanket from her lap. She places her thick book onto the coffee table. She then stands and fixes the waist band of her cotton shorts, "I'll get you a glass of water."
And in that moment, David walks in from outside as he hangs up a call he was obviously taking.
"What happened? How did we end up here?" I question to both of them as I notice the dim golden lights of the living room and the pitch black sky outside.
"You passed out at the restaurant." Chase explains as he continues to kneel in front of the sofa. I push my self up and fold them underneath me as I lean back against soft sofa cushions, "After you saw the news report on the flat screen."
"You had an extreme reaction to you panic attack." David explains as he slowly walks into the living room, "Although fainting as a result of a panic episode is rare, it's not impossible. I'm just glad you didn't hit your head."
I scoff, "A damn miracle"
"How are you feeling?" Chase questions from below
"Dizzy, tired..." I mumble as Penn places a glass of water and one of the cupcakes we had successfully baked the night before. The icing and decoration was a downright train wreck with various colours of sprinkles and neon green icing that looked very watery. "....and fucking hungry."
Everyone chuckles as Penn takes her seat back on the arm chair and I take a massive bite out of the cupcake. I glance around the dimly lit room, noticing we were the only ones.
I frown as I question, "Where is everyone?"
"They tried waiting up for you but decided to hit the sack." David answers as he folds his arms. I glance at him curiously as he realises what I was confused about, "Hayden, it's just after two in the morning. You've been out for six hours."
"Holy fuck!" I gasp with a mouthful of cupcake so it came out more garbled and a whole lot less coherent than I was planning on. I swallow, "Shit, sorry."
"We've been on the phone with our lawyers since we left the restaurant." Chase explains as I once again get lost in his hazel eyes. I nervously begin playing with the blanket on my lap, "They had know idea that fucker and his legal team were doing this. Our lawyers found out pretty much the same time you did."
"Xavier is a good lawyer, Hayden. He should squash this in a week if not a few days." David explains as I glance at him. Xavier was a good friend of David's and was my lawyer the last time. He was eccentric but damn good at his job. He never made me feel like I was to blame and only answered questions that would help with putting Luke behind bars.
"So what happens now?" I question, looking at David.
He shrugs, "Xavier will be coming here in the next day or two. He'll explain everything then."
"Okay," I nod as my brain struggles to process everything, "But he should know that there's no way in hell I'll be stepping back in a fucking courtroom, let alone a courtroom with him."
"We wouldn't ask you to." Penn shakes her head as I give her a small smile.
"You two will have to work together when he gets here though. Since Luke went to jail for crimes involving both of you, you will need to work with Xavier as much as you can." David explains as he points between the two of us, "Can you do that?"
"Pffft, of course we can." I brush off even though I knew I was lying. I had no fucking clue if I could handle that. I glance at Chase to see him staring at me with another impassive look. His hazel eyes make my heart cramp as I get lost in those pools of liquid gold.
Chase sighs as he glances back at David, "....Sure."
"Great." David smiles at us as I feel something behind me. Then, glancing out of the corner of my eye, I realise that Chase was mindlessly twirling a strand of my blonde hair around his finger. Did he even notice that he was doing it.
"You guys should go to bed. Seriously, you didn't have to stay up just for me." I smile at David and Penn who glance at each other, both reluctant to move, "Please, I don't want to be more of a burden than I already am."
"You're not a burden, Hayden. Don't ever think that." Penn explains as she stands from the armchair, "If anything goes wrong or you start feeling unwell, please call us down."
I nod, "Okay."
Penn then walks past the sofa, leans down and places her lips to my forehead, "Goodnight."
When she had left the living and quietly made her way up the stairs, David lets out a large sigh and pockets the phone in his hand.
"Your mother was so worried, Hayden." David explains, "I mean we all were, but she tired herself out. I suggest you tell her about your therapy lessons and why you stopped them."
"I know and I will." I nod as I glance at Chase who was staring right back at me with a clenched jaw. Why the fuck was he so angry again?
"Great," David nods, "Well, I guess I better go get my beauty-sleep."
We all chuckle together as David walks over and kisses the top of my head for bidding his goodnight and silently walks upstairs. We sit together in the silence for a moment. Maybe it was only five seconds, maybe it was an hour. Time is different when I'm with Chase.
He sighs, "Jones—"
"Nope." I say as I throw my legs over the sofa and stand up. I march towards the kitchen, "I'm not having this conversation with you."
"Yes you fucking are." Chase whisper-shouts as he walks after me, "Look me in the eye and say that you're one hundred percent over this."
I whip around as I charge at him, pointing a finger right at his stupid face, "I...."
Chase holds my glare with his own, his jaw clenched tightly and he was breathing heavier. I couldn't bring myself to say it because I knew if I did, I would be lying. We both knew.
"Just go to sleep, Everett." I sigh as I turn and now slowly finish the rest of the path to the kitchen. I reach for the handle of the fridge, only for Chase to wedge himself between me and the metal door. He folds his arms across his chest, not moving an inch. "You're a fucking child."
"And you're fucking incorrigible." Chase counters as he narrows his eyes on me, "Tell me you're over this and I'll leave Jones."
I bite down on my lip as I take a step back. I then inhale sharply, "I don't have to do shit."
"Tell me." Chase replies.
"No."
"Tell me."
"No."
He narrows his eyes, "Jones."
I narrow mine, "Everett."
"Tell me."
"Why!?"
"Because I lo—" Chase freezes suddenly, his face still impassive as ever. He swallows and rewinds as if rewinding the tap in his head, "Because I care for you Jones. Do you know how fucking scary it was seeing you faint like that in the restaurant? You hit the floor pretty damn hard and I wasn't there to catch you."
"Maybe I'm not meant to be caught, okay?" I shrug as Chase frowns in confusion, "Maybe I'm just a fucking lost cause. Thanks for all your support Everett but so far it's been for fucking nothing and I doubt it'll change so—"
Chase takes a step forward and wraps his arms around me. He places one hand to the back of my head and the other around my waist, keeping me steady against him. Slowly, my arms come up and wrap around his torso.
"Why are you like this?" I mumble into his shoulder as my tears slowly begin to fall, "Why do you have to care so damn much?"
"Because it's you, Jones."
My heart squeezes as I close my eyes and begin to sob uncontrollably. I haven't cried like this in a long time. I think the last time was when Chase and I broke up, and then the three weeks after that. Chase lets me cry, he lets me wet his tight grey shirt with my tears.
"Maybe I do need to go back to therapy." My mumble as I scoff, "Maybe I'm not as over this as I thought I was."
Chase snorts, "You think?"
"Shut up." I laugh as I shove him playfully, "You should go to sleep."
"I'm fine." Chase mumbles, his arms slightly tightening around me.
"I need to be alone with my thoughts for a little bit." I explain, truthfully as Chase sighs and leans back. I hesitantly glance up into his hazel eyes, "Don't worry, I'm not going to run off or anything."
"You know I'd run after you." Chase chuckles as he wipes the pad of his thumb over my cheek. I laugh as I reach up and wrap my fingers around his wrist.
"I know." I smile, "It's just a shame my superman is so much of an asshole."
"And my Lois Lane is a stubborn piece of shit." Chase scoffs as I roll my eyes. He stands back and drops his arms to his side, "Goodnight Jones."
"'Night, Everett." I smile softly at him before he nods and slowly walks out of the kitchen. When he was gone, I slowly slide my back down the white cabinet doors and pull my knees into my chest. I sigh heavily as I press my forehead against my knees.
I think the kitchen floor in the middle of the night is honestly the best place to cry. No one can challenge me on this.
It's also the best place to eat cupcakes. Damn, whenever I cry I become hella hungry. It's like the weird, depressed version of getting high.
I roll my eyes at myself as I stand up and head to the fridge for snacks.
hey, sorry i haven't updated in a while
i've been moving into my new house that i'm sharing with three of my best friends before uni starts again so i've been pretty busy decorating and shit.
also, shopping for a specific aesthetic is a damn nightmare when you loose the perfect pinterest picture for your room inspo. you just end up swiping through pictures on your phone for an hour while getting glared at by middle-aged people for 'taking up the aisle' or whatever boomer shit that is.
go the fuck around me with your cart of live, laugh, love signs karen.
anyway, it was a shorter chapter this time but i hope you still enjoyed it.